Bioenergy and Biofuels

News about bioenergy and biofuels, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jun. 30, 2015

United Airlines is set to announce $30 million investment in Fulcrum BioEnergy, along with groundbreaking plans to use Fulcrum biofuel in route from Los Angeles to San Francisco; investment is largest yet by domestic airline in alternative fuel, highlighting pressure airlines are under to reduce carbon emissions; BioEnergy's product is derived from farm waste and oil from animal fats. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Environmental Protection Agency issues proposal for amount of biofuel that must be blended into conventional vehicle fuel, increasing volume of renewable fuel required by roughly 9 percent, to 17.4 billion gallons, by end of 2016. MORE

May. 2, 2015

Concessions at Progressive Field, home to Cleveland Indians, are transforming food waste into energy and fertilizer at plant run by renewable energy firm Quasar; Environmental Protection Agency says estimated 34 tons of food waste annually is biggest part of landfills, which cause 18 percent of nation's methane emissions. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Letter by Iowa Gov Terry Branstad and Missouri Gov Jay Nixon comments on Jan 29 article about World Resources Institute report on inefficiencies of biofuels. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column investigates how governments worldwide are pushing to incorporate bioenergy into transportation fuels, largely in hope of reducing dependency on fossil fuels; notes critics say plans are not genuinely carbon neutral, because dedicating forests and fields to biofuel production means they are not in turn available for food production, or to absorb carbon dioxide in atmosphere. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

World Resources Institute report finds that converting crops into biofuels is inefficient method of producing energy while simultaneously reducing amount of land available for feeding expanding world population; urges western governments to find other ways of meeting energy needs. MORE

Nov. 22, 2014

Environmental Protection Agency says it has been unable to decide on rule setting levels for amount of biofuel it will require to be blended into conventional vehicle fuels. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Abengoa Bioenergy opens $500 million biofuel production plant in Hugoton, Kan; like other companies opening biofuel plants in the Midwest, Abengoa is shifting its focus to replacing petroleum not only in gas tanks, but also in other products, such as plastic bottles. MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

Global aviation industry is looking toward renewable bio-jet fuels like farnesane, which is made from sugar cane, in hope that these will offer better energy security, reduced carbon emissions and lower fuel costs. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Nevada company Algae Systems is using pilot plant in Alabama to try and turn profit making diesel fuel from algae; process, if proved effective, poses number of environmental benefits including cleaning sewage water, creating fertilizer and removing carbon from air when fuel is burned. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Team of chemists and engineers at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, has spent last several years investigating possibility of producing biodiesel from alligator fat; proponents say one of the benefits of biodiesel is that it can be made from long list of raw materials. MORE

Apr. 15, 2014

Abengoa Bioenergy and other companies are constructing plants for ethanol made from corn stalks and wheat straw, but the market is saturated already; disagreement exists over potential for biofuels, with energy act's goal of reaching 21 billion gallons by 2022 now considered unreachable; many energy experts remain skeptical about new plants. MORE

Dec. 25, 2013

Advances in molecular genetics and DNA sequencing technology have allowed San Diego start-up SGB to domesticate jatropha, a plant with seeds that produce high-quality oil that can be refined into low-carbon jet fuel or diesel fuel; company expects to produce 70 million gallons of fuel annually, attracting interest of airlines, energy giants and other multinational firms. MORE

Oct. 9, 2013

India is increasing its efforts to harness alternative forms of energy, including that derived from biomass sources, to meet enormous needs of its population of 1.2 billion people. MORE

Oct. 3, 2013

Clean Energy Fuels is selling Redeem, vehicle fuel derived from landfill methane, in more than 40 California filling stations; company expects to sell 15 million gallons in 2013. MORE

Jul. 21, 2013

Next step for diesel fuel could be renewable biodiesel made from soybean oil, animal fats and recycled fry oil, but some automakers are wary of state mandates calling for higher concentrations of biodiesel at the pump. MORE

Jun. 23, 2013

Solazyme, company founded by Jonathan S Wolfson and Harrison F Dillon, is pursuing dream of using microalgae to drastically reduce environmental impact of creating fuel; is creating other niche products, like anti-aging oil, to keep business afloat and avoid financial collapse that has sunk many other clean-tech companies. MORE